hen we look forward to the coming century, it is clear that change
will be the watchword for this new period in our history. Technology
is going to propel us into exciting new areas, where more
opportunities--and problems--await us.

UW-Madison's College of Engineering is producing the leadership that
will engineer the solutions to those problems. When we challenge our
students by providing innovative learning opportunities inside and
outside the classroom, we help ensure a pool of engineering talent for
2000 and beyond which is second to none. I'd like to show you a few
ways our college is working to continuously improve our education,
research and service programs toward that end, and tell you about some
of our achievements in those areas.

To be the college of engineering which provides the best learning
experience, most productive learning community, and most creative
learning environment in higher education.

Educational and technological innovation

We are excited about our new Master of Engineering in Professional Practice, a two-year program designed for engineers with growing
responsibilities and leadership roles. It targets technical
proficiency in project management, business operations,
communications, quality management and more. With its convenient
distance-delivery format, we expect this program--which begins in
summer, 1999--to be very popular. (For more information, phone
1-800-462-0876 or 608/262-2061 or see mepp.engr.wisc.edu)

The new interdisciplinary Master of Engineering (Polymer Engineering
and Science) will be offered beginning this fall. The degree is
organized under the Rheology Research Center and departments including
chemistry, chemical engineering, engineering physics and mechanical
engineering. It will be ideal for students wishing to complete a BS
and MS degree in five years, and for practicing engineers and
scientists on a short sabbatical leave from their positions in
industry.

We received approval to expand our Biomedical Engineering Program to
offer both BS and PhD degrees, as well as MS. We've also added new
degree options for undergraduates,
including environmental engineering and radiation sciences.

We are continuing with the technological upgrade of college
classrooms. The new renovation of the Materials Science and Engineering Building includes two state-of-the-art classrooms, one of
which is attached to a microscopy lab for maximum hands-on student
participation. A classroom in the Engineering Building will also be
remodeled this year to include computer display equipment.

Our Kurt F. Wendt Library continues to keep us in the forefront of
technological innovation in information sciences. It has for several
years made copies of print journal articles requested by faculty and
graduate students. This year Wendt began scanning requested articles
and delivering them via the Internet. The user receives an e-mail with
the URL where his or her article is posted. Wendt is also subscribing
to more and more full-text electronic versions of journals. These can
be accessed on the Web by UW-Madison faculty, staff, and students,
wherever they are.

Creating new opportunities in engineering

Our efforts to increase diversity in our student body have taken great
strides in the past year. We inaugurated a Corporate Alumni Scholarship Program which offers tuition and fees and is renewable
each year. We think this will be a marvelous tool to help us recruit
the best and brightest.

Associate Professor Douglass L. Henderson (second from left) and students in the college's Engineering Summer Program experiment with equipment in a biomedical engineering lab. ESP brings high school students from traditionally underrepresented groups to campus for engineering, science and math classes.(49K JPG)

We also have special efforts with several companies which I'd like to
recognize. Our first Coca-Cola scholar from the Atlanta area, Gregory
Smith, will attend our college this fall. Coke also sponsored two
students to attend the Engineering Summer Program (ESP) for High
School Students. Ford Motor Company has also sponsored two students
from the Detroit area to attend ESP. General Electric's continuing
support through a $500,000 grant to our diversity programs is proving
extremely valuable to our recruitment and retention
efforts. Partnerships with these and other companies help ensure that
we identify and encourage promising students at a young age and then
give them the financial support they need to attend engineering school
at UW-Madison.

Camp Badger participants pour over one of their assignments: making a batch of concrete and pouring it into a mold. 1998 was the first year for this program aimed at introducing 8th, 9th and 10th graders to the engineering field.(58K JPG)

This year our Department of Engineering Professional Development
sponsored our first Camp Badger, a week-long program designed to give
students entering eighth, ninth and tenth grade an opportunity to
learn about various engineering disciplines. One of the goals of this
program is to get students thinking early about engineering as a
potential career. They saw first-hand how knowledge is applied in
engineering laboratories and research settings.

Student activities

Our student FutureCar team had an extraordinary year, finishing in a
tie for first place overall at their national competition. They also
won numerous honors in separate categories, including the best use of
advanced materials, the first-ever "Innovations in Aluminum Award" and
the best teamwork. This team has shown extraordinary tenacity, focus,
continuous improvement and teamwork during their effort to create the
vehicle of tomorrow. Faculty and staff members deserve thanks for
their dedication to this effort, as well as our corporate and private
sponsors. This competition is an excellent example of what we are
trying to accomplish by giving students the opportunity to participate
in national competitions--the chance to learn valuable engineering and
other concepts in a project-oriented team setting.

Turbo Mule, which won Brainstorm's $10,000 first prize, is a human-powered vehicle capable of easing the workload for people in Third World countries, such as the African nation of Ghana. Pictured, contest sponsor Richard Schoofs (left) with student inventors Eric Wobig, Dave Waters and Brie Howley. (41K JPG)

1998 was the fourth year of our The Schoofs Prize for Creativity competition, which challenges undergraduates to create a
patentable product or process. This contest is a key component in
encouraging students to consider entrepreneurial activities and test
their creativity before graduation. This year's winner was Turbo Mule,
a bicycle-like vehicle for carrying large loads, especially in Third
World countries.

Student inventor Eric Iverson displays his Recycling Plastic Welder, which enables its operator to feed strips, chunks, pellets, beads or shavings of plastic filler into a caulk-gun-like applicator in order to repair or join plastic together. The project placed first in the Technology Enterprise Competition.(39K JPG)

This year, we held our first-ever G. Steven Burrill Technology Business Plan Competition in
which students competed to have the best business plan for a
technology related enterprise. Students worked in cross-functional
teams with participants from engineering, business and other UW
schools and colleges. More than 30 students participated, learning
valuable lessons about turning great ideas into viable commercial
entities. This program was a great success and one we hope to continue
in partnership with the School of Business.

Faculty honors

In 1998, we welcomed two more winners of the National Science Foundation's prestigious CAREER awards: Assistant Professor Riccardo Bonazza, engineering physics, and Assistant Professor Luke Mawst,
electrical and computer engineering. Our college now has 37 recipients
of Presidential Young Investigator or CAREER awards. Two more of our
faculty--Wisconsin Distinguished Professor Michael Corradini,
engineering physics, and Steenbock Professor James Dumesic, chemical
engineering--were named members of the National Academy of Engineering. They bring to 15 the number of our faculty given this
honor.

Welcome, new partners

Our partnerships with industry are vital to our research and education
enterprises. They enable students and faculty to work on real-world
problems. This year, we welcomed the formation of two new centers
related to college research: The Computational Mechanics Center, led
by Professor Roxann Engelstad, and the Pegasus Plasma Experiment, led by
Professor Raymond Fonck. Three new industry consortia were also
formed. These entities enable industry to help set research directions
and benefit from the results. The three new consortia are the
Wisconsin Consortium for Applied Water Quality Research, the Complex Artifactual Design through Integration of Information Technologies Consortium (CAD-IT)
Consortium, and the Global E-Business Consortium.

Engineering and campus milestones

High school seniors compete in a tower building competition as part of "Day on Campus," an annual program conducted by the Society of Women Engineers. Through a series of speakers, tours and hands-on activities, this event helps young women learn more about engineering studies before they begin college.(50K JPG)

This year, UW-Madison marks its sesquicentennial with many special
events, including an International Alumni Convocation to be held
Sunday--Friday, May 2-7, 1999. For more information on the
sesquicentennial schedule of activities, see www.uw150.wisc.edu. For
information specific to the College of Engineering's role in the
sesquicentennial celebration, please see our recently launched web
page at www.engr.wisc.edu/news/history.

We will mark our own milestone with the start of our new engineering
campus parking ramp later this year. We are also finalizing plans for
the Engineering Centers Building, which will be located on the site of
the temporary buildings on the corner of University Avenue and Breese
Terrace. Groundbreaking for ECB will occur within the next two years.

Thanks to our alumni and friends

We could not maintain the margin of excellence in our college without
the partnership of our alumni and friends. Participation in our VISION 2000 fund drive continues to grow, giving us important opportunities
for educational innovation and recruiting and retaining the best
students and faculty.